Better Call Saul

[CZroe]

I agree with the very slow and boring comments. It's like they don't have enough material to make a full 10 episode season so they shove in extra character "building" parts. I'll stand by hoping it doesn't last more than 1 more year or so depending on where they take the story.

This isn't Game of Thrones. Only the first season is 10 episodes.

Well at least we'll be able to see how he ended up in a wheelchair and a mute.

If Vince Gilligan wants to surprise us, he can make it happen the way we would assume it happened for most: a stroke.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Porter did another amazing job with the music, the scene with Kim cold calling, using this song IMHO was brilliant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsw2NQb5xSA

 

[Carson Dyle]

Two comments:

1. If it wasn't for the Mike side-story, this would be a very boring show.

2. The characterization of the main character - Jimmy, Saul, whatever - isn't believable. At times he's a complete rube, at others, he's very savvy, especially with people. Which would be expected of an ex-hustler and petty con man. People don't go back and forth, nor do they transform themselves. There's just something very uneven about the portrayal of the character.

 

[CZroe]

Porter did another amazing job with the music, the scene with Kim cold calling, using this song IMHO was brilliant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsw2NQb5xSA

I'm still enjoying this one:

 

[A Casual Fitz]

This isn't Game of Thrones. Only the first season is 10 episodes.

Both seasons are 10 episodes. Vince said 10 per year is a good number for the show.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

2. The characterization of the main character - Jimmy, Saul, whatever - isn't believable. At times he's a complete rube, at others, he's very savvy, especially with people. Which would be expected of an ex-hustler and petty con man. People don't go back and forth, nor do they transform themselves. There's just something very uneven about the portrayal of the character.

Well, you can tell his natural abilities and passions are in the hustling sleazy lawyer behavior and he loves that woman and his brother so he's doing everything in his power to fight those urges. We all know how this ends up.

 

[purbeast0]

WHY DOES EVERYONE WORK IN DARKNESS, EVEN DURING THE DAY WHEN CHUCK ISN'T THERE?!

This is getting really annoying. If Kim doesn't sue them for extortion she should sue them for causing irreparable damage through eye strain. HHM and Davis & Main do this. Is it just industry standard in Vince Gilligan's universe?!

at my job people requested to have the lights removed above their desks. i was the only one who kept mine but it was still dark in my area, i hated it. i get sleepy when working in dark areas.

anyways, while i agree it has some slow parts and episodes, i still enjoy the episodes. i don't need it to be non-stop. BB also had a lot of slow stuff but the payoff when it got going was worth it.

 

[SMOGZINN]

but later on we found out exactly why he has such disdain for his brother when he was talking to kim, and it had to do with his dad.

I bet we hear this same story, with a very different conclusion, from Jimmy. I'm betting that Jimmy didn't steal that money, and that their dad was not the saint that Chuck wants to believe. More likely their dad was involved with the mafia or lost the money gambling and Jimmy used his fast talking to get them out of trouble even if it still cost them the shop.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I'm definitely in the ATOT minority on this one. Really enjoying the show and haven't had issues with pacing.

 

[ControlD]

I'm definitely in the ATOT minority on this one. Really enjoying the show and haven't had issues with pacing.

Same here. I think it's been great so far this season.

 

[Perknose]

Same here. I think it's been great so far this season.

Thirded. I could see this coming from miles away . . . the shallow, short attention span action junkies whining about the full range and depth that makes and has made this show and its predecessor great.

 

[purbeast0]

I'm definitely in the ATOT minority on this one. Really enjoying the show and haven't had issues with pacing.

just because people are calling it slow doesn't mean they have problems with the pacing. in fact i think most people in this thread agree with you.

madmen was an extremely slow show it's entire run but it was great. so was boardwalk empire for the most part with action here and there.

slow show != not enjoyable

 

[Drako]

I'm definitely in the ATOT minority on this one. Really enjoying the show and haven't had issues with pacing.

Agreed, I love this show. If anything the pacing is too fast.

 

[CZroe]

Both seasons are 10 episodes. Vince said 10 per year is a good number for the show.

Nope. Sounds like he was talking about the first season. Most shows have a short first season.

Season 2 *is* 13 episodes. There were idiotic blogs making that assumption early on. I called them out. I was proven right:
http://www.amc.com/shows/breaking-bad/talk/2014/06/amc-updates-on-better-call-saul
"AMC confirmed it has already ordered a second season of 13 Better Call Saul episodes, for an initial total of 23."



This was just before the first episodes aired. Obviously, this kind of misinformation will continue to spread if we don't call it out where we see it. This isn't the first time I've brought that up:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=38006462&highlight=episodes#post38006462
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=38005435&highlight=episodes#post38005435

 

[A Casual Fitz]

Hm, well I shall concede if that is indeed the case. In the second paragraph of wikipedia's article it says:

The first season, which premiered on AMC on February 8, 2015,[5] consists of 10 episodes. The show's 10-episode second season premiered on February 15, 2016.[6] On March 15, 2016, the series was renewed for a 10-episode third season.[7]

 

[Carson Dyle]

I don't have any real problem with the pacing, although they're definitely dragging out what isn't a terribly interesting story. It's on par for a lawyer show and TV drama. It's entertaining, but it's not Breaking Bad. It's a story made up and told to get to an end point, and it feels like it. They should probably have planned on telling it in two seasons.

 

[CZroe]

Hm, well I shall concede if that is indeed the case. In the second paragraph of wikipedia's article it says:

The first season, which premiered on AMC on February 8, 2015,[5] consists of 10 episodes. The show's 10-episode second season premiered on February 15, 2016.[6] On March 15, 2016, the series was renewed for a 10-episode third season.[7]

Like I said before: "Wikipedia says so and points to an incorrect source for the data." There are a TON of incorrect sources sourcing each other but NONE go to any kind of official source. The only official source has said "23 episodes" for the first two seasons, and 23-10=13. I wouldn't be surprised if they have extended it. It's been renewed for season 3 as well.

 

[Remobz]

Like I said before: "Wikipedia says so and points to an incorrect source for the data." There are a TON of incorrect sources sourcing each other but NONE go to any kind of official source. The only official source has said "23 episodes" for the first two seasons, and 23-10=13. I wouldn't be surprised if they have extended it. It's been renewed for season 3 as well.

How well is it doing with ratings? Any way to find out?

 

[Carson Dyle]

Most of the TV guide sites show the season as being 10 episodes, ending on April 18th, same day that they'll air the end of season special 'Talking Saul'.

 

[Bird222]

I wondering what happens to Chuck's wife?

 

[Charmonium]

How well is it doing with ratings? Any way to find out?

Right now it's not even doing as well as Into the Badlands. Surprising.

Here are all of AMC's ratings

http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/amc-network-tv-show-ratings-33643/

 

[Carson Dyle]

I wondering what happens to Chuck's wife?

I can't imagine. You would think it would be fun living with someone who is (or thinks he is) extremely sensitive to EMR.

 

[Ketchup]

I can't imagine. You would think it would be fun living with someone who is (or thinks he is) extremely sensitive to EMR.

That would be tough, but I could see a man with an ego like his pushing her away for not being sensitive enough.

 

[Skel]

Two comments:

1. If it wasn't for the Mike side-story, this would be a very boring show.

2. The characterization of the main character - Jimmy, Saul, whatever - isn't believable. At times he's a complete rube, at others, he's very savvy, especially with people. Which would be expected of an ex-hustler and petty con man. People don't go back and forth, nor do they transform themselves. There's just something very uneven about the portrayal of the character.

I agree with you on the Mike part. His story is much more interesting than Saul/Jimmy/whatever. Jimmy already is a con guy. They've already shown between his flashbacks and even in his helping Mike that he's the same guy we saw in BB. I'm a little confused on what transformation he's supposed to have. It's not like he's really a good man, he's just a guy that's trying to do the right thing. I can't say I've seen anything that tells me his trying to be the guy Chuck wanted sticking. If anything it's the opposite as he keeps finding himself doing shady stuff. The only thing that's going to be anything close is he's going to be true to himself and stop trying to live up to Chuck's/Kim's wants of him.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I bet we hear this same story, with a very different conclusion, from Jimmy. I'm betting that Jimmy didn't steal that money, and that their dad was not the saint that Chuck wants to believe. More likely their dad was involved with the mafia or lost the money gambling and Jimmy used his fast talking to get them out of trouble even if it still cost them the shop.

Yep, I like that theory. Jimmy for all his love of sleaze doesn't seem like a guy who would rob family. If he wanted extra cash he'd have come up with a scheme to hustle it, not take it from the till. Chuck's wife and the truth of the dad story are likely what create the final rift between Chuck and Jimmy and turn Jimmy into Saul.

But at this point, I'm not sure if I'm going to care by then. Yes, we know Jimmy doesn't like playing by the rules. Yes, we know Chuck is an arrogant asshole who has no respect for Jimmy. We've known that since the first freaking episode. Move on, unless you're brain dead you don't need to have the same two point beat into your head every week. Some of us can process information without hearing it 100 times.